"So often people think, 'Oh, Bach is heavy music, very difficult'," Ton Koopman says in the liner notes of this CD; "but there are levels of just emotion, levels of just fun, and I hope they will say, 'My God, is that beautiful!'" Taken from chorales and arias (including the aria from the Goldberg Variations), Koopman's arrangements of Bach for solo cello and orchestra are indeed beautiful, as is the pellucid playing of the cello's premier virtuoso. In addition to Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze, Sleepers, Awake! and more, they perform Boccherini's B-flat Major and D Major Cello concertos.

"Ma has found a way to play with ideal Baroque precision without sacrificing warmth of tone or elegance of musical lineÖ. Ma, Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra really let 'er rip in two concertos by Boccherini, with Ma offering playing that would be dazzling no matter what the era or style."óBoston Globe